1. Technical Field
This disclosure generally relates to information handling systems (IHSs), and more particular to an IHS chassis having air flow directed to thermal energy generating components that are thermally shadowed by other compute components.
2. Description of the Related Art
As the value and use of information continue to increase, individuals and businesses seek additional ways to process and store information. One option available to users is information handling systems (IHSs). An IHS generally processes, compiles, stores, and/or communicates information or data for business, personal, or other purposes, thereby allowing users to take advantage of the value of the information. Because technology and information handling needs and requirements vary between different users or applications, IHSs may also vary regarding what information is handled, how the information is handled, how much information is processed, stored, or communicated, and how quickly and efficiently the information may be processed, stored, or communicated. The variations in IHSs allow for IHSs to be general or configured for a specific user or specific use such as financial transaction processing, airline reservations, enterprise data storage, or global communications. In addition, IHSs may include a variety of hardware and software components that may be configured to process, store, and communicate information and may include one or more computer systems, data storage systems, and networking systems.
Ever-increasing demand for storage capacity of hard disk drives (HDD) and solid state drives (SSD) prompts system designers and end users to seek solutions that can fit higher storage capacity into smaller external volumes. Storage enclosures that hold more drives (e.g., HDDs) result in high system airflow impedance since the drives are tightly packed. The air flow impedance of enclosures is proportional to how much airflow is blocked by the HDD and its carrier. In these densely packed storage enclosures, the combination of pre-heated air from the HDDs and reduced airflow creates a challenge to cool thermally sensitive components that are downstream of the HDD array. Increasing fan power to achieve the same amount of airflow can mitigate these effects only to a certain degree.